中国近海入侵贝类及其影响

海洋贝类种类繁多,是近海底栖生态系统的优势种,在生态系统物质循环和能量流动中起着极其重要的作用;但因频繁的人类活动导致的贝类入侵问题,往往使该过程不能正常运转。大量研究表明,入侵贝类会抑制原著贝类或其他生物的生长及拓殖,形成单一优势群落,破坏当地生态系统的平衡,也会对海洋渔业生产和近海工程及作业等造成不可预测的危害。目前,欧美等国家针对该问题已开展了大量工作,十分重视入侵贝类的生物学、生态学与行为学特征及特性的研究,并根据其入侵途径与方式的不同开展了检测、监测、防控及管理工作。但在我国,入侵贝类还未引起相关部门及研究机构的足够重视。本文主要简述了我国近海的3种入侵贝类沙筛贝、指甲履螺和地中海贻贝的生物学、生态学及行为学等特征及其对当地生态系统的影响;同时,根据其特性及入侵过程控制的难易,建议在完善我国入侵贝类数据库的基础上加强早期预警与检测,以及安全防控和管理等工作。     

Recent trends in paralytic shellfish toxins in Puget Sound,relationships to climate,and capacity for prediction of toxic events

Temporal and spatial trends in paralytic shellfish toxins (PSTs) in Puget Sound shellfish and their relationships with climate are investigated using long-term monitoring data since 1957. Data are selected for trend analyses based on the sensitivity of shellfish species to PSTs and their depuration rates, and the frequency of sample collection at individual sites. These criteria limit the analyses to the shellfish species Mytilus edulis at 20 sites from 1993 to 2007. Blue mussel toxicity is highly variable, but typically exceeds the regulatory limit for human consumption from July to November annually, with most closures occurring early in fall. Using blue mussel data only, we find no robust evidence to suggest that the frequency, magnitude, duration, or geographic scope of PST events in Puget Sound increased between 1993 and 2007. However, there is a significant basin-wide trend for closures to occur earlier in the year. There are no significant correlations between annual indices of mussel toxicity and aspects of the local and large-scale climate. Case studies of daily variations in local environmental factors leading up to exceptionally toxic events identify a combination of conditions that generally precedes most closures from 1993 to 2007. These results suggest that periods of warm air and water temperatures and low streamflow on sub-seasonal timescales may facilitate toxin accumulation in mussels. No relationships were found between water residence times in the surface layer and either streamflow or mussel toxicity. Recommendations are made for future monitoring to improve forecasting of PST risks in Puget Sound, an important region for recreational, commercial, and tribal subsistence shellfish harvesting.     

The stratigraphy of the Middle Stone Age sediments at Pinnacle Point Cave 13B (Mossel Bay, Western Cape Province, South Africa)

Pinnacle Point Cave 13B (PP13B) has provided the earliest archaeological evidence for the exploitation of marine shellfish, along with very early evidence for use and modification of pigments and the production of bladelets, all dated to approximately 164?ka (Marean et?al., 2007). This makes PP13B a key site in studies of the origins of modern humans, one of a handful of sites in Africa dating to Marine Isotope Stage 6 (MIS 6), and the only site on the coast of South Africa with human occupation confidently dated to MIS 6. Along with this MIS 6 occupation there are rich archaeological sediments dated to MIS 5, and together these sediments are differentially preserved in three different areas of the cave. The sediments represent a complex palimpsest of geogenic, biogenic, and anthropogenic input and alteration that are described and interpreted through the use of a variety of macrostratigraphic, micromorphologic, and geochemical techniques. Three independent dating techniques allow us to constrain the age range of these sediments and together provide the stratigraphic context for the analyses of the material that follow in this special issue.     

Brain-specific lipids from marine, lacustrine, or terrestrial food resources: potential impact on early African Homo sapiens

The polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) composition of the mammalian central nervous system is almost wholly composed of two long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (AA). PUFA are dietarily essential, thus normal infant/neonatal brain, intellectual growth and development cannot be accomplished if they are deficient during pregnancy and lactation. Uniquely in the human species, the fetal brain consumes 70% of the energy delivered to it by mother. DHA and AA are needed to construct placental and fetal tissues for cell membrane growth, structure and function. Contemporary evidence shows that the maternal circulation is depleted of AA and DHA during fetal growth. Sustaining normal adult human brain function also requires LC-PUFA.Homo sapiens is unlikely to have evolved a large, complex, metabolically expensive brain in an environment which did not provide abundant dietary LC-PUFA. Conversion of 18-carbon PUFA from vegetation to AA and DHA is considered quantitatively insufficient due to a combination of high rates of PUFA oxidation for energy, inefficient and rate limited enzymatic conversion and substrate recycling. The littoral marine and lacustrine food chains provide consistently greater amounts of pre-formed LC-PUFA than the terrestrial food chain. Dietary levels of DHA are 2.5–100 fold higher for equivalent weights of marine fish or shellfish vs. lean or fat terrestrial meats. Mammalian brain tissue and bird egg yolks, especially from marine birds, are the richest terrestrial sources of LC-PUFA. However, land animal adipose fats have been linked to vascular disease and mental ill-health, whereas marine lipids have been demonstrated to be protective. At South African Capesites, large shell middens and fish remains are associated with evidence for some of the earliest modern humans. Cape sites dating from 100 to 18 kya cluster within 200 km of the present coast. Evidence of early H. sapiens is also found around the Rift Valley lakes and up the Nile Corridor into the Middle East; in some cases there is an association with the use of littoral resources. Exploitation of river, estuarine, stranded and spawning fish, shellfish and sea bird nestlings and eggs by Homo could have provided essential dietary LC-PUFA for men, women, and children without requiring organized hunting/fishing, or sophisticated social behavior. It is however, predictable from the present evidence that exploitation of this food resource would have provided the advantage in multi-generational brain development which would have made possible the advent of H. sapiens. Restriction to land based foods as postulated by the savannah and other hypotheses would have led to degeneration of the brain and vascular system as happened without exception in all other land based apes and mammals as they evolved larger bodies.     

海洋贝类蛋白资源酶解利用研究进展

海洋贝类蛋白资源的高效利用是我国海洋生物资源可持续利用中重要研究方向,酶解技术已经成为海洋贝类蛋白资源高值化、资源化、生态化开发的重要手段,具有重要的理论意义和实践意义。贝类酶解采用的主要商品酶为中性蛋白酶、风味酶、木瓜蛋白酶、菠萝蛋白酶、胃蛋白酶等,酶解效果评价的主要参数为蛋白水解率以及抗氧化、清除自由基等生理功能指标,酶解产物主要用途为调味品、营养功能制品、饲料蛋白产品、医药品等。从商品工具酶的选择,酶解优选工艺、酶解产物应用等角度,综合论述了海洋贝类蛋白资源酶解利用的发展现状,展望了其发展趋势,为我国商品酶制剂在海洋贝类乃至整个海洋生物蛋白资源的高值化开发中的利用提供参考。     

海洋毒素研究进展

从海洋生物中分离出大量结构新颖、生物活性独特的海洋毒素。本文对目前分离得到的海洋毒素进行了总结,包括:河豚毒素、麻痹性贝毒素、腹泻性贝毒素、肝脏毒贝毒素、神经性贝毒素、记忆丧失性贝毒素、西加毒素和其它类型的海洋毒素。海洋毒素不仅可以作为寻找新型防治心血管疾病药物和抗肿瘤药物的先导化合物,还是研究生命科学有用的工具。本文列出了67个重要的海洋毒素的结构并提供70篇参考文献。     

Shellfish subsidies along the Pacific coast of North America

Spatial subsidies are associated with pronounced ecosystem responses, as nutrients cross ecological boundaries and cascade through food webs. While the importance of subsidies is known, the role of shellfish, specifically molluscs, as a marine subsidy has not been formally described. Focusing primarily on the Pacific coast of North America, we identify vectors that transport shellfish-derived nutrients into coastal terrestrial environments, including birds, mammals, and over 13 000 yr of marine resource use by people. Evidence from recipient ecosystems suggests shellfish drastically influence soil chemistry, forest productivity and the diversity of primary producers at the regional and landscape level. Responses in higher trophic levels have not yet been investigated, but given documented responses in lower trophic levels, this may be due to a lack of examination. To determine if the processes we describe within the northeast Pacific are pertinent to coastal environments worldwide, we also explore shellfish subsidies globally, with a specific focus on temperate and tropical islands. As shellfish are not as spatially or temporally constrained as other subsidies, our examination suggests our findings are applicable to many other geographical regions along the marine–terrestrial interface.     

Impacts of harmful algae on seafarming in the Asia-Pacific areas

Seafarming to produce human food has recently intensified, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. Disastrous impacts of harmful phytoplankton blooms, however, have been experienced during the past 20 years. In extreme cases, these render shellfish and finfish toxic or cause massive fish and shrimp kills. Problems from marine algae in the region include paralytic shellfish poisoning, diarrhetic shellfish poisoning, ciguatera, tetrodotoxin poisoning, fish kills and tainting of fish and shellfish. An analysis of 72 incidents since 1934 showed that 57% were fish and shrimp kills; almost all the remainder were PSP events. By mid-1994 there had been 3164 recorded cases of human poisoning and 148 reported deaths from these events in Asia-Pacific. Economic losses may exceed one million US dollars per event, while monitoring costs may be up to $50000 annually for each affected area. Research needs, management strategies and international cooperation are discussed. National action plan considerations include shellfish sanitation programs, public awareness and education, coastal engineering and classification of waters to protect public health.     

Beads, Bifaces, and Boats: An Early Maritime Adaptation on the South Coast of San Miguel Island, California

Terminal Pleistocene and Early Holocene sites on California's Channel Islands provide evidence for early maritime activity, including the use of seaworthy boats. Numerous early shell middens have been identified, but specific information on the maritime peoples who occupied them is limited. Our research at CA-SMI-608, a roughly 9,500-year-old shell midden on San Miguel Island, produced a relatively large assemblage of bifaces and other chipped stone artifacts, shell beads, worked bone, and well-preserved faunal remains. Food remains are dominated by mussels, abalones, and other shellfish from the rocky intertidal, but fish, sea mammal, and sea bird remains were also recovered. These data provide a detailed view of early maritime activities along an arid coastline previously considered marginal to human settlement.     

Present status of larval-rearing technology in Korea

The overall status of seedling production in Korea isdiscussed. In shellfish culture, suchas oyster and ark shell, seedlings are obtained bynatural seedling collection. Shellfish seedlingproduction has been decreasing rapidly due to coastalpollution and continuous dense culture over the years. This has lead to the development of artificialproduction of shellfish seedlings. However, the massproduction of seedlings in the hatchery is not yetfully developed in Korea. Isochrysis, Pavlova, Chaetoceros and Thalassiosiraare the main live food organisms for the artificialseedling production. Thesespecies can be cultured indoors, but the technology for theiroutdoor culture is not established.Marine fish culture production is growing fast. With regard to seedling production of marine fish,flounder and rockfish are the most importantcommercial species. For seedling production of thesespecies, rotifers and Artemia are the main livefood organisms. Marine Chlorella for rotiferculture is unstable at temperatures over 30 °C. Nannochloris oculata, which grows faster than marine Chlorella at temperatures over 30 °C iswidely used in the summer season as an alternative. A natural Artemia strain exists in smallquantities in areas of restricted salt fields. However, the mass production of Korean Artemiacyst is not economically feasible. Korean Artemia strain seems to have originated from theSandong Pennisula in China, because of similaritiessuch as the hatching ecology, chromosome number andnutrient composition. Currently, research is carried out toidentify a new live food organism that can substitute rotifersand Artemia. The cost of feedincluding live food organisms is 30–60% of the totalproduction cost for seedling production of marine fishin Korea. Therefore, new and inexpensive artificialformulated feeds should be developed.     

广东惠州3类海洋经济物种体内重金属含量分析和健康风险评估

海洋渔业资源是自然资源的重要组成部分,海洋经济物种体内重金属含量直接影响到人们身体健康。利用2018年春季惠州市海洋渔业资源调查样品,分析了贝类、甲壳类、鱼类等3类27种海洋经济物种体内重金属Cu、Pb、Cd的含量特征,利用单因子污染指数(SFI)、金属污染指数(MPI)和目标危险系数(THQ)分别进行了重金属污染水平评价和健康风险评估,并探讨了海洋经济物种体内重金属的来源及影响因素。结果显示,(1)2018年春季,惠州海域3类海洋经济物种体内重金属元素含量由大到小皆为Cu>Pb>Cd。不同类海洋经济物种对同种重金属的富集能力有明显差异,方差分析显示,贝类体内Cu含量显著高于鱼类,Cd含量显著高于甲壳类和鱼类。(2)惠州海洋经济物种体内3种重金属元素含量的Pearson相关分析结果显示,Cu与Pb、Cd显著正相关,反映其具有同源性和类似生物地球化学行为,受到人为活动的影响。(3)SFI值反映,3类海洋经济物种体内Cu含量为正常背景值水平,Pb含量为轻度污染;贝类、鱼类体内Cd含量分别为轻度污染和中度污染,值得引起重视。MPI值由大到小为贝类>甲壳类>鱼类。整体说明,不同海洋经济物种体内重金属含量特征对生存环境质量有明显响应。(4)根据《无公害食品水产品中有毒有害物质限量》(NY 5073-2006),从1996年到2018年春季,惠州海域海洋经济物种体内Cu含量稳定,无超标样品;甲壳类、鱼类体内Pb、Cd含量超标需引起关注。(5)3类海洋经济物种的THQ值皆<1,由大到小顺序为贝类>甲壳类>鱼类,对人身健康无影响。     

Karenia brevis monitoring,management, and mitigation for Florida molluscan shellfish harvesting areas

The purpose of this paper is to describe the State of Florida Karenia brevis monitoring, management and mitigation procedures for the harvesting of safe molluscan shellfish. Monitoring and management to prevent public health impacts of due to brevetoxins from K. brevis in shellfish has worked successfully for over forty years. Over the past forty years there have been no reports of human illness resulting from the consumption of commercial or recreational harvest harvested of shellfish from Florida waters that were classified as open. Therefore, this monitoring and management program has been a highly successful public health program. In addition, opportunities exist for mitigation which may allow for limited shellfish harvesting and safe consumption during blooms. The key elements of the Florida program are provided as a “model” or “ideal” monitoring, management, and mitigation program.     

人工鱼礁建设对浙江嵊泗海域营养盐与水质的影响

根据2003-2007年对嵊泗人工鱼礁海域11个航次调查所获得的实验数据,运用鱼礁区和对照区相比较的方法,分析了该海域不同季节氮、磷营养盐和水质在投放人工鱼礁后的变化,并对海域水质状况进行评价。结果表明,无机氮大多数处于阈值范围或低于最小阈值,活性磷酸盐含量则严重超标,N/P值范围为0.6280-14.8273,嵊泗海域处于氮限制,溶解氧不成为该海域浮游生物的生长限制因子。投放人工鱼礁后,生态效应不能在短期里得以体现,鱼礁区的水质情况要好于对照区,海域对P的富集强度大于N,人工鱼礁建设对再生生产力影响较大,对新生产力的贡献很小。       

Distribution of human virus contamination in shellfish from different growing areas in Greece,Spain, Sweden,and the United Kingdom

Viral pollution in shellfish has been analyzed simultaneously across a wide range of geographical regions, with emphasis on the concomitant variations in physicochemical characteristics and social features. The methods for sample treatment and for the detection of human enteric viruses were optimized by the participating laboratories. The second part of this study involves the selection of a protocol for virus detection, which was validated by analyzing the distribution and concentration of human viral pathogens under diverse conditions during an 18-month period in four European countries. Shellfish-growing areas from diverse countries in the north and south of Europe were defined and studied, and the microbiological quality of the shellfish was analyzed. Human adenovirus, Norwalk-like virus, and enterovirus were identified as contaminants of shellfish in all the participating countries. Hepatitis A virus was also isolated in all areas except Sweden. The seasonal distribution of viral contamination was also described. Norwalk-like virus appeared to be the only group of viruses that demonstrated seasonal variation, with lower concentrations occurring during warm months. The depuration treatments currently applied were shown to be adequate for reducing Escherichia coli levels but ineffective for the elimination of viral particles. The human adenoviruses detected by PCR correlate with the presence of other human viruses and could be useful as a molecular index of viral contamination in shellfish.     

A novel antibody-based biomarker for chronic algal toxin exposure and sub-acute neurotoxicity

The neurotoxic amino acid, domoic acid (DA), is naturally produced by marine phytoplankton and presents a significant threat to the health of marine mammals, seabirds and humans via transfer of the toxin through the foodweb. In humans, acute exposure causes a neurotoxic illness known as amnesic shellfish poisoning characterized by seizures, memory loss, coma and death. Regular monitoring for high DA levels in edible shellfish tissues has been effective in protecting human consumers from acute DA exposure. However, chronic low-level DA exposure remains a concern, particularly in coastal and tribal communities that subsistence harvest shellfish known to contain low levels of the toxin. Domoic acid exposure via consumption of planktivorous fish also has a profound health impact on California sea lions (Zalophus californianus) affecting hundreds of animals yearly. Due to increasing algal toxin exposure threats globally, there is a critical need for reliable diagnostic tests for assessing chronic DA exposure in humans and wildlife. Here we report the discovery of a novel DA-specific antibody response that is a signature of chronic low-level exposure identified initially in a zebrafish exposure model and confirmed in naturally exposed wild sea lions. Additionally, we found that chronic exposure in zebrafish caused increased neurologic sensitivity to DA, revealing that repetitive exposure to DA well below the threshold for acute behavioral toxicity has underlying neurotoxic consequences. The discovery that chronic exposure to low levels of a small, water-soluble single amino acid triggers a detectable antibody response is surprising and has profound implications for the development of diagnostic tests for exposure to other pervasive environmental toxins.     

Evidence for a Novel Marine Harmful Algal Bloom: Cyanotoxin (Microcystin) Transfer from Land to Sea Otters

“Super-blooms” of cyanobacteria that produce potent and environmentally persistent biotoxins (microcystins) are an emerging global health issue in freshwater habitats. Monitoring of the marine environment for secondary impacts has been minimal, although microcystin-contaminated freshwater is known to be entering marine ecosystems. Here we confirm deaths of marine mammals from microcystin intoxication and provide evidence implicating land-sea flow with trophic transfer through marine invertebrates as the most likely route of exposure. This hypothesis was evaluated through environmental detection of potential freshwater and marine microcystin sources, sea otter necropsy with biochemical analysis of tissues and evaluation of bioaccumulation of freshwater microcystins by marine invertebrates. Ocean discharge of freshwater microcystins was confirmed for three nutrient-impaired rivers flowing into the Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, and microcystin concentrations up to 2,900 ppm (2.9 million ppb) were detected in a freshwater lake and downstream tributaries to within 1 km of the ocean. Deaths of 21 southern sea otters, a federally listed threatened species, were linked to microcystin intoxication. Finally, farmed and free-living marine clams, mussels and oysters of species that are often consumed by sea otters and humans exhibited significant biomagnification (to 107 times ambient water levels) and slow depuration of freshwater cyanotoxins, suggesting a potentially serious environmental and public health threat that extends from the lowest trophic levels of nutrient-impaired freshwater habitat to apex marine predators. Microcystin-poisoned sea otters were commonly recovered near river mouths and harbors and contaminated marine bivalves were implicated as the most likely source of this potent hepatotoxin for wild otters. This is the first report of deaths of marine mammals due to cyanotoxins and confirms the existence of a novel class of marine “harmful algal bloom” in the Pacific coastal environment; that of hepatotoxic shellfish poisoning (HSP), suggesting that animals and humans are at risk from microcystin poisoning when consuming shellfish harvested at the land-sea interface.     

Investigation of clonal distribution and persistence of Salmonella Senftenberg in the marine environment and identification of potential sources of contamination

Salmonella Senftenberg was detected in the coastal areas of Galicia (NW Spain) in 1998, where it remained the predominant serovar for the next four years. Although the overall incidence of this serovar in the zone was lower than 1%, contamination by Salmonella serovar Senftenberg was located in very specific areas of the Ría de Arousa, where it persisted for more than five years. A total of 60 Salmonella serovar Senftenberg isolates, originating from surveillance activities in marine environments, was subjected to molecular characterization by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE). PFGE analysis of the marine isolates allowed the differentiation of three main PFGE types, which contained the majority of the isolates, each type showing a specific spatial distribution in the coastal waters. The most prevalent pulse types persisted for more than four years, emphasizing their capacity to adapt and survive in marine environments. Using PFGE analysis, marine isolates were compared with Salmonella serovar Senftenberg isolates from neighbouring mussel-processing facilities and to other epidemiologically unrelated isolates from human, animal and feed sources. Comparison of the restriction patterns showed that indistinguishable PFGE types were present in the isolates from mussel-processing facilities and their surrounding marine areas, suggesting that the mussel processing is the main source for contamination with Salmonella Senftenberg in these marine environments. A molecular fingerprinting relationship was established between three shellfish isolates and a human isolate, which could be considered as preliminary evidence of infection caused by Salmonella Senftenberg associated with molluscan consumption.     

海产贝类尼氏单抱子虫病害的研究进展

目前,我国形成规模养殖的经济贝类有近20种,贝类增养殖已经成为沿海海水养殖业的支柱产业。资料显示,2004年全国海水贝类产量为1024万吨,占海水养殖总产量的77．82％。但是目前,由于气候变化、海洋环境污染、外来生物入侵等因素导致我国海产贝类病害越来越重,寄生虫就是主要病原之一,其中尼氏单孢子虫就是其中的一种原生动物寄生虫,寄生于很多种海产贝类体内。这种病害在很多地区都有暴发,国外对其研究较多,国内梁玉波等时这一病害进行了研究。因此,系统阐述国外贝类尼氏单孢子虫病害的研究现状与进展,对我国海产贝类病害的研究具有现实意义。本文时尼氏单孢子虫的分类、病害的流行情况、尼氏单孢子虫的形态学,病害的主要症状。尼氏单孢子虫的检测方法,尼氏单孢子虫与寄主之间的交互作用,环境因素时病害流行的影响等方面进行了论述,为我国贝类病害的研究和防治提供参考。     

New genotypes and factors associated with Cryptosporidium detection in mussels (Mytilus spp.) along the California coast

A 3 year study was conducted to evaluate mussels as bioindicators of faecal contamination in coastal ecosystems of California. Haemolymph samples from 4680 mussels (Mytilus spp.) were tested for Cryptosporidium genotypes using PCR amplification and DNA sequence analysis. Our hypotheses were that mussels collected from sites near livestock runoff or human sewage outflow would be more likely to contain the faecal pathogen Cryptosporidium than mussels collected distant to these sites, and that the prevalence would be greatest during the wet season when runoff into the nearshore marine environment was highest. To test these hypotheses, 156 batches of sentinel mussels were collected quarterly at nearshore marine sites considered at higher risk for exposure to livestock runoff, higher risk for exposure to human sewage, or lower risk for exposure to both faecal sources. Cryptosporidium genotypes detected in Haemolymph samples from individual mussels included Cryptosporidium parvum, Cryptosporidium felis, Cryptosporidium andersoni, and two novel Cryptosporidium spp. Factors significantly associated with detection of Cryptosporidium spp. in mussel batches were exposure to freshwater outflow and mussel collection within a week following a precipitation event. Detection of Cryptosporidium spp. was not associated with higher or lower risk status for exposure to livestock faeces or human sewage sources. This study showed that mussels can be used to monitor water quality in California and suggests that humans and animals ingesting faecal-contaminated water and shellfish may be exposed to both host-specific and anthropozoonotic Cryptosporidium genotypes of public health significance.     

Assessment of sodium channel mutations in Makah tribal members of the U.S. Pacific Northwest as a potential mechanism of resistance to paralytic shellfish poisoning

The Makah Tribe of Neah Bay, Washington, has historically relied on the subsistence harvest of coastal seafood, including shellfish, which remains an important cultural and ceremonial resource. Tribal legend describes visitors from other tribes that died from eating shellfish collected on Makah lands. These deaths were believed to be caused by paralytic shellfish poisoning, a human illness caused by ingestion of shellfish contaminated with saxitoxins, which are produced by toxin-producing marine dinoflagellates on which the shellfish feed. These paralytic shellfish toxins include saxitoxin, a potent Na⁺ channel antagonist that binds to the pore region of voltage gated Na⁺ channels. Amino acid mutations in the Na⁺ channel pore have been demonstrated to confer resistance to saxitoxin in softshell clam populations exposed to paralytic shellfish toxins present in their environment. Because of the notion of resistance to paralytic shellfish toxins, the study aimed to determine if a resistance strategy was possible in humans with historical exposure to toxins in shellfish. We collected, extracted and purified DNA from buccal swabs of 83 volunteer Makah tribal members and sequenced the skeletal muscle Na⁺ channel (Nav1.4) at nine loci to characterize potential mutations in the relevant saxitoxin binding regions. No mutations of these specific regions were identified after comparison to a reference sequence. This study suggests that any resistance of Makah tribal members to saxitoxin, if present, is not a function of Nav1.4 modification, but may be due to mutations in neuronal or cardiac sodium channels, or some other mechanism unrelated to sodium channel function.